Tenchu: Dark Secret - NDS - Preview

E3 2006 First Look Preview

These days, no game series is safe
from the wrath of the Nintendo DS. It’s devouring titles faster than you can
scratch out a sentence in Picto Chat. Tenchu: Dark Secret will be the DS’s first
spy/mission game since Splinter Cell was ported over. Key gameplay mechanics are
the same, as are some of the levels, characters, and other integral elements are
present. But as much as this is a Tenchu game you already know, it’s also one
you don’t know.

Let’s start with the camera. Tweaked
to a new perspective, the camera gives the game a semi-isometric view. It’s not
quite top-down, but definitely not a behind-the-back-of-the-assassin view
either. This small change alone affects how an attack might take place. You can
see your opponents better when within their vicinity, but have a disadvantage
when they’re far away because they are no longer in view. Whereas in the PS2
version you could look forward and see where your enemy is hiding, it doesn’t
appear that the DS version will give you that option.

Attacks are done with the D-pad and
face buttons, which should appeal to fans of the series expecting a familiar
atmosphere in a handheld world. Tenchu uses the other screen for map information
(a la Castlevania series), but Nintendo has hinted that final version may
involve something more than a useful piece of eye candy. While there are no
plans to change the controls to something along the lines of The Legend of
Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, we might get a puzzle or two, or a special attack
exclusive to this version, that makes the touch screen a more interactive
experience. Keep your swords crossed.